This key, uses current nomenclature, includes subspecies and has dimensions based upon the results of the field studies that the Cyclamen Society has carried out between 1987 and 2018.
It applies only to the most usually encountered versions of each species, not unusual selections or rarities such as white forms of species that normally have coloured flowers, or pink forms of those that normally have white flowers. It includes subspecies, but not botanical formas or varieties. It also does not apply to inter-species hybrids. The seasons referred to below follow the UK meteorological system.
- Flowering mainly in summer or autumn (1st June-30th November in UK). ➡︎ 2
Flowering mainly in winter and spring (1st December-31st May in UK). ➡︎ 16 - Cone of anthers projecting beyond mouth of flower C. rohlfsianum
Cone of anthers hidden within the flower tube. ➡︎ 3 - Petals each with 2 conspicuous bumps or swellings (auricles) at base around the mouth of flower. ➡︎ 4
Petals not obviously swollen into bumps (auricles) around the mouth, or sometimes slightly expanded. ➡︎ 11 - Flowers white (usually a very pale pink, so pale as to appear white) with sharply defined crimson markings at the mouth. Roots often emerging from one side of the tuber. C. cyprium
Flowers pinkish or purplish but if white then without sharply defined red markings. ➡︎ 5 - Leaves with a satin-like surface; tuber with thick fleshy roots emerging from the centre of the underside; after flowering, stem starting to coil at or near base. ➡︎ 6
Leaves dull or shiny but not with satin-like surface; tuber with fine roots almost anywhere on surface but particularly around the rim; after flowering, stem coiling from apex downwards. ➡︎ 8 - Flowers small and/or slender, usually sweetly scented; auricles barely present to slightly developed, basal blotch compact. C. maritimum
Flowers relatively large and/or robust, usually not sweetly scented; auricles well developed to pronounced, basal blotch elongated along the veins. ➡︎ 7 - Corolla white or tinged pink, auricles and basal blotch pronounced. C. graecum subsp. candicum
Corolla pale to dark (purplish) pink, auricles and basal blotch normally developed. C. graecum subsp. graecum - Leaf stems growing outwards underground away from tuber, before turning upwards. ➡︎ 9
Leaf and flower stems usually arising more or less erect from the tuber. C. africanum - Flowers with a markedly expanded mouth, strongly fragrant; leaves thick, often shiny. C. confusum
Flowers mouth not greatly expanded, often not fragrant; leaves with shiny or matt surface. ➡︎ 10 - Leaves thick and fleshy, surface shiny, mostly light green. Leaf blades pentagonal, heptagonal or nonagonal (5, 7 or 9 sided). C. hederifolium subsp. crassifolium
Leaves not thick or fleshy, surface matt. Leaf blades usually the shape of ivy (Hedera helix) leaves. C. hederifolium subsp. hederifolium - Flowers pink, reddish or white with no distinct darker red blotch at the mouth. ➡︎ 12
Flowers white or pale pink with a distinct red blotch at the mouth. ➡︎ 15 - Flowers small (petals 10-20 mm long), white or pale pink, with grey veins the length of the petals; petals sometimes toothed at apex; unscented. C. intaminatum
Flowers with petals 20-30 mm long, pale to deep pink or reddish, sometimes with (slight) auricles; very fragrant. ➡︎ 13 - Leaves with smooth or indistinctly toothed margins, upper surface not markedly shiny. ➡︎ 14
Leaves with conspicuous teeth, often with horn-like tips, upper surface glossy. C. colchicum - Leaves decoratively marked on upper surface. C. purpurascens subsp. purpurascens
Leaves unmarked on upper surface (plain green). C. purpurascens subsp. immaculatum - Flowers with petals toothed at apex; leaf margins scalloped with horny tips to the teeth. C. mirabile
Flowers with smooth-edged petals; leaves with entire margins; scented. C. cilicium
- Flowers white with no pink markings at mouth. ➡︎ 17
Flowers pink, magenta or white with a darker zone at mouth. ➡︎ 18 - Leaves with rather obvious large teeth, often dark green with silvery zones. C. creticum
Leaves entire or with shallow teeth, often silvery green all over. C. balearicum - Flowers pale pink with sharply-defined red marks like a bird at the mouth. C. libanoticum
Flowers variously coloured but if pale pink then mouth with a darker stain, not well-defined marks. ➡︎ 19 - Flowers with petals more than twice as long as wide, twisted lengthways. ➡︎ 20
Flowers with petals as long as or only slightly longer than wide. ➡︎ 25 - Leaf & flower stems arising erect from the tuber; after flowering, stem bending over, not coiling. ➡︎ 21
Leaf and flower stems creeping underground before emerging; flower stem coiled in fruit. ➡︎ 22 - Tuber small, subglobose or elongate. Leaves wider rather than longer, coarsely toothed; pedicels equalling the leaves. Flowers smaller with shorter, narrower corolla lobes. *C. somalense
Tuber larger, depressed-globose. Leaves longer than wide, closely dentate margin. Flowers larger and held high above foliage. C. persicum - Leaves dark green with a variable jagged silvery or paler green zone; flowers a fairly uniform bright reddish-pink, usually suffused slightly darker towards the mouth. C. repandum
Leaves usually dotted, flecked and splashed irregularly with silver markings; flowers white to bright reddish-carmine with a distinct pink to red zone around the mouth. ➡︎ 23 - Flowers white with a pale pink zone around the mouth. C. rhodium subsp. rhodium
Flowers pink to bright reddish-carmine with a distinct pink to red zone around the mouth. ➡︎ 24 - Flowers pale to mid-pink with a deeper carmine-pink zone around the mouth. C. rhodium subsp. peloponnesiacum
Dark/deep carmine-magenta flowers, the base of the petal is uniformly coloured without a defined darker zone, though the petals often gradually deepen in colour from apex towards the mouth. C. rhodium subsp. vividum - Flowers longer than wide, late spring; leaves heart-shaped with conspicuous teeth. C. pseudibericum
Flowers as long as wide or wider than long, late winter/early spring flowering; leaves rounded or heart-shaped, usually not markedly toothed. ➡︎ 26 - Petals held almost horizontally or slightly downwards, usually markedly twisted; flowers with musty scent. C. alpinum
Petals held more or less vertically, only slightly twisted; flowers usually not fragrant. ➡︎ 27 - Flowers lilac-pink with a darker stain at mouth; petals 6-16 mm long; leaves plain matt green, more or less round. C. parviflorum
Flowers various shades of carmine, pink or white with a dark stain and two white spots at mouth, petals 10-20 mm long; leaves round or heart-shaped, usually with zones of silver or pale green and shiny. ➡︎ 28 - Leaves orbicular to weakly heart-shaped; flowers ‘dumpy’, with petals blunt at apex; two white spots at the base of each petal. ➡︎ 29
Leaves usually strongly heart-shaped; petals noticeably longer than wide, usually pointed at apex. C. elegans - Leaves orbicular with more or less entire margins. C. coum subsp. coum
Leaves weakly heart-shaped with crenate (or scalloped) margins. C. coum subsp. caucasicum
*C. somalense will not be encountered in cultivation; it is a little-known rare endemic of Somalia and is probably related to C. persicum and C. rohlfsianum.